(WPDE) — Last week, Congressman Russell Fry’s (SC-07) Trafficking Survivors Relief Act was signed into law by President Donald Trump.
This legislation allows victims of trafficking to be provided with federal criminal record relief, recognizing their victim status in a court of law, according to a release from Rep. Fry’s office. It also provides relief for survivors who have been convicted as a result of their trafficking victimization through vacatur, expungement and sentencing mitigation.
“No survivor of human trafficking should carry a criminal record for non-violent crimes they were forced to commit under threat, abuse, or coercion,” said Rep. Fry. “This bill recognizes a simple truth: victims are not criminals. Too often, survivors are punished for their exploitation, instead of receiving the support they need to rebuild their lives. Passing the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act is a critical step toward restoring justice, dignity, and a real second chance to those who endured unimaginable exploitation.”
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Rep. Fry said for a court to grant these opportunities, the defendant must show “preponderant” evidence that the crime committed was linked to having been a victim of trafficking. They also must provide “clear and convincing” evidence that they were a victim at the time of the offense.
The bill only allows for non-violent offenses that were committed as a direct result of trafficking to be eligible for vacatur and expungement, and they must be crimes that do not involve a child as the victim, according to a release from Rep. Fry’s office.
“I signed the TAKE IT DOWN Act and Trafficking Survivors Relief Act to modernize our tools to fight human trafficking and enable survivors to rebuild their lives,” said President Trump. “With these enhanced resources, our great law enforcement officers are now equipped with the tools needed to remove dangerous illegal aliens from our streets and dismantle human trafficking networks.”
Supporting groups of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act include:
- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson
- 3Strands Global Foundation
- The Asian American Hotel Owners Association
- AHLA
- CPAC
- Engage Together
- Hope for Justice
- Survivor leader Hollie Nadel
- Justice Restoration Center
- Major County Sheriffs of America
- The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE)
- PACT
- Paving the Way Foundation
- Pearl at the Mailbox
- Raven
- Right On Crime
- Rights4Girls
- Shared Hope International
- Street Grace
- The Moore & Van Allen Human Trafficking Pro Bono Project
- Thistle Farms
- The UPS Foundation
- World Without Exploitation
Go here to read the full Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (H.R. 4323).
